This week, Montana Brown started working as a staff nurse in Atlanta, Georgia.
It was a dream finally realized for the 24-year-old, two-time childhood cancer survivor from Atlanta.
Brown is not just any new nurse at the AFLAC Cancer Center though, she’s also a former patient there.
When she was 2 years old, Brown was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of childhood cancer of the connective tissue. She underwent chemotherapy for a year at the AFLAC Cancer Center. All the while, she said, her parents tried to help her have a normal life, watching movies while she was in the hospital.
By the time, Brown reached high school, she had been active in competitive gymnastics and competitive cheerleading for years. Then the family got some shocking news at the end of Brown’s freshman year: The 15-year-old had cancer again.
“I had just tried out for my high school cheerleading team,” she said. “I actually ran a mile while I had cancer and had no idea. … There weren’t symptoms but my mom and dad could…